Foundation anchor bolt positioning and restraining device

ABSTRACT

An anchor bolt positioning and restraining apparatus eliminates use of the conventional J-shaped anchor bolt and replaces it with a straight-line anchor rod. The apparatus includes a support plate having an anchor bolt attachment means attached thereto, a pair of opposed, identical, upstanding positioning and restraining arms attached to lateral ends of the support plate and a straight-line anchor bolt that is secured to the attachment means after the foundation wall is constructed. The positioning and restraining arms invariably position anchor bar at exactly the same location within an interior core of the cinder block such that the anchor bar will consistently project above the sill plate on its centerline, while projecting at a consistent height and at a consistent ninety degree angle with respect to the top surface of the sill plate so that an anchoring nut and washer combination can be properly attached to the projecting end of the anchor bar when tying the building framing to the foundation wall. The positioning and restraining arms do not allow the apparatus to move in any direction after it is placed within the core of the cinder block such that the sill plate can be predrilled.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to building construction andmore specifically to a device used in residential housing constructionthat supports and precisely positions an anchor bolt within a masonryconstruction block foundation wall to allow the frame of the building tobe secured to the anchor bolt. The present invention also includes meansfor securely retraining the apparatus against movement and from beingdislodged from the wall while it is under construction.

2. Discussion of the Prior Art

It is well known that the median price of residential housing hascontinuously risen at a pace which has far outpaced yearly annualincreases in disposable family income, making affordable home ownershipan unobtainable dream to a growing number of families. The price of ahome is largely determined by three main factors: the cost of land;labor costs; and material costs. The cost of materials exhibits the mostvariability as there are hundreds of different materials used in theconstruction of a home and many of these materials, such as roofingshingles, asphalt, lumber, and concrete, are in some way indirectlyaffected by the per-barrel price of oil. While the price a contractorpays for these materials is out of his direct control, the waste of suchitems is not. Therefore, a contractor knows that when the waste of suchmaterials can be minimized or eliminated, the cost savings can be passedon to the consumer, thereby improving and promoting the salability ofhis product. One such area in which the costs of materials can besignificantly reduced concerns the use of foundation anchoring bolts forattaching the building structure to the foundation and how those boltsare secured within the foundation.

The foundation of houses and other buildings are typically constructedfrom masonry blocks commonly referred to as cinder blocks, which have agenerally rectangular configuration. Each cinder block is manufacturedto have two juxtapositioned, hollow cores that extend through the blockin a vertical direction. The cores are separated by a cross-member orpartition wall that is located at the midsection of the block and commonto each core. A plurality of intermittently spaced anchor bolts aresecured within the cores of selected or predetermined cinder blocks inorder to tie in the entire perimeter of the structural framing of thebuilding or house to the foundation wall. Many state building codesdictate that the anchor bolt must be long enough to extend from abovethe sill plate of the building structure, downwardly to at least thesecond course or layer of the foundation and that each anchor bolt bepermanently secured within the foundation wall. This is accomplished byinserting a respective anchor bolt within one of the two hollow cores ofeach of the predetermined cinder blocks such that the threaded end ofthe anchor bolt extends upwardly above the top-most course in thefoundation wall and then pouring cement into the hollow core until thelowermost end of the bolt is enmeshed within the concrete so that isbecomes permanently secured within the wall and positioned so as toupwardly extend above the sill plate so that a nut and washercombination can be used to secure the anchor bolt thereto.

One of the wasteful aspects of securing anchoring bolts to thefoundation wall concerns the random placement of the anchor bolt by aconstruction worker. For example, if the worker is not careful, he canposition the anchor bolt such that it extends upwardly so that it is notat a right angle relative to the top surface of the sill plate. In thatsituation, the threaded end of the bolt may not extend above the sillplate at all or it may extend only partially above the plate such thatan anchoring nut and washer cannot be readily attached to the anchorbolt threads. In order to address that problem, a worker must eitherchisel or drill out the sill plate around the threads in order to getthe nut and washer to fit so that it can finally be secured. Not onlydoes this solution waste a great deal of worker time on the job, it alsocompromises the integrity of the sill plate and the effectiveness of theanchoring system. Sometimes the anchor bolt is permanently set withinthe foundation wall such that the threaded end only extends up to lowersurface of the sill plate itself, meaning that the nut and washer willnever be attached to the anchor bolt, thereby eliminating the use ofthat particular anchor bolt in securing the building framing. In thatsituation, the builder nevertheless has still incurred the labor cost inequivalent time to install a defective anchor bolt and the cost of allof the materials associated with permanently securing it within thefoundation wall.

Another related problem with the current process of permanently securingeach respective anchor bolt is that it wastes a large amount of cementmaterial and requires extensive labor to mix the concrete, transport itand then finally pour it within the cores of the brick. To position ananchor bolt, it is now common to pass the bolt down through the alignedhollow cores of at least two layers of stacked cinder blocks.Subsequently, cement is poured down the uppermost core until it reachesthe lowermost layer and then fills the core until the lowermost end ofthe bolt is surrounded by concrete. This results in wasting of a largeamount of cement in that the entire height of the foundation wall atthat respective bolt location is filled solid with concrete.Furthermore, the concrete that is used to fill each respective core ishand mixed and transported by several construction workers who thenwheelbarrow the concrete to the particular location. Builders haveattempted to solve or limit this wastefulness of the concrete by fillingthe cores below the top two courses with sand, empty concrete bags, andother construction site debris in order to provide a higher base orplug. In this way, the bottom of the anchor bolt can be rested upon thebase so that only a partial core needs to be filled with concrete,thereby reducing the amount of concrete used within the construction ofthe foundation wall. The biggest problem with this shortcut method isthat many of the anchor bolts ultimately become improperly aligned sincethey are unstably resting upon the debris dropped within the cinderblock cores and the concrete moves them once it contacts the anchor boltas the concrete fills the cores.

Attempts have been made to overcome these problems, as addressed withthe anchor bolt positioning apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.6,138,421 to Grisby. In that prior art device, the apparatus utilizes aJ-shaped anchor bolt that greatly complicates the structural design ofthe device for holding and positioning the anchor bolt. For example,that device requires provision of an upstanding post and several clipsfor securing the anchor bolt to the post, as well as several supportingpads for resting the curved section of the bolt upon. The pads functionto preset the extent of the upward, vertical projection of the anchorbolt as well as its position within the core of the cinder block. Theconstruction of this device presents several shortfalls that compromiseits usefullness. One shortfall is that the device is costly tomanufacture due the multiplicity of components. Another shortfall isthat because of the complexity and number of parts, it is overlycumbersome to assemble in the field, thereby leading to increased laborcosts. The largest shortfall of this device pertains to the preferredembodiment, which is designed to rest upon the top face of the cinderblock. In this position, the device is not prevented from completemovement along the longitudinal and horizontal directions of the cinderblock, which can effect the final position of the anchor bolt relativeto the sill plate. Another shortfall is that this device is verydifficult to incorporate into the foundation wall during its assemblybecause the course (s) of blocks which will lie above the apparatus haveto be carefully lifted and positioned over the upwardly extending J-boltthat is pre-secured to the post, all without disturbing the bolt on thepost. If a bricklayer is not especially careful, he can easily contactthe bolt in such a manner that the holding clips are disengaged, causingthe bolt to either fall off the post or lean at an angle other thanstraight up. Moreover, if one or both of the clips is not utilized forwhatever reason during assembly of the apparatus, there is a likelihoodthat should a cinder block contact the upstanding anchor bolt duringassembly of the wall or when the concrete is initially poured over theapparatus for permanently securing the bolt into the wall, the anchorbolt may become fully or partially dislodged from the post. In eithersituation, the anchor bolt will not remain in a perfectly verticalposition for securing the sill plate thereto, again leading to theproblems mentioned above. Furthermore, if a bricklayer is not especiallycareful, he can easily knock the entire apparatus off the course ofblock that the device is resting upon since this device has no effectiveprovision for restraining the apparatus securely to the cinder blocks. Afinal shortfall that was discovered with this prior art anchor boltdevice is that it disintegrates the mortar joint. It was found thatbecause the positioning apparatus is disposed directly within the mortarjoint, either the downward weight forces of the concrete used to fillthe passageway or the upward forces exerted during tightening of thesill plate nut, will cause the structure of the device to deflect,thereby transferring those forces directly into the mortar joint.Depending upon the freshness of the mortar, such deflection forces cancompromise the integrity of the mortar joint.

While the prior art devices may have fulfilled their respective,particular objectives and requirements, the need remains for afoundation anchor bolt positioning apparatus that has certain improvedfeatures which is less costly to manufacture, is more expedient toassemble in the field and incorporate into the foundation wall duringits assembly, and which guarantees that it will be restrained frommovement or from being knocked off the foundation wall so that theanchor bolt will invariably extend to the correct height above the sillplate and invariably be positioned on the centerline of the sill plate.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is the primary object of the present invention to provide an improvedanchor bolt positioning apparatus for use within a foundation wall thatis comprised of cinder blocks capped with a sill plate. The object ismet in the present invention by providing an anchoring bolt positioningand restraining apparatus that comprises a support plate having ananchor bolt attachment means attached thereto, a pair of opposed,identical, upstanding positioning and restraining arms attached tolateral ends of the support plate and a straight-line anchor bolt issecured to the attachment means after the foundation wall isconstructed. The positioning and restraining arms invariably positionanchor bar at exactly the same location within an interior core of thecinder block such that the anchor bar will consistently project abovethe sill plate on its centerline, while projecting at a consistentheight and at a consistent ninety degree angle with respect to the topsurface of the sill plate so that an anchoring nut and washercombination can be properly attached to the projecting end of the anchorbar when tying the building framing to the foundation wall. Thepositioning and restraining arms do not allow the apparatus to move inany direction after it is placed within the core of the cinder blocksuch that the sill plate can be predrilled. The present invention alsoeliminates the use of the conventional J-shaped anchor bolt and insteadprovides a straight-line anchoring bar which allows the anchoringapparatus to be substantially simplified while greatly reducing its costto manufacture. The use of the straight-line anchor bar also allows itto be attached to the apparatus structure after the foundation wall isconstructed. This subtle change allows the foundation wall to be erectedwithout the worry lifting the individual bricks over an upstandinganchor bolt that usually becomes damaged from contact with the brick oris knocked out of position or completely off the foundation wall.

The features and advantages of the invention will be further understoodupon consideration of the following detailed description of anembodiment of the invention taken in conjunction with the drawings, inwhich:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of a conventional cinder blockfoundation wall illustrating the positioning of a prior art anchor boltwithin the wall;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic elevational view of a conventional foundationwall;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a conventional cinder block;

FIG. 4A is an exploded perspective view of a first embodiment of theanchor bolt positioning and restraining apparatus of the presentinvention;

FIG. 4B is a perspective view of only the support plate of the preferredembodiment of the present invention highlighting another version of theattachment means;

FIG. 4C is a perspective view of only the support plate of the preferredembodiment of the present invention highlighting still another versionof attachment means;

FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view of a conventional cinder blockshowing the relationship of the positioning and restraining arms withinthe cinder block;

FIG. 6 is a partial elevational view of the top portion of a cinderblock foundation wall with a portion being broken away, illustrating theapplication of the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the inventionutilizing a removable attachment means;

FIG. 7A is cross sectional view of the removable attachment means takenalong line 7A-7A of FIG. 7;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a variation to the second embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the inventionhighlighting another type of removable anchor bolt attachment means;

FIG. 9A is a cross sectional view of the second embodiment taken alongline 9A-9A of FIG. 9; and

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a fourth embodiment of the presentinvention highlighting still another type of removable anchor boltattachment means.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention will now be described in detail with reference tothe preferred embodiment wherein like elements will be identified bylike reference numerals throughout the drawings and specification.Referring first to FIGS. 1-3, a prior art anchor bolt 10 will begenerally described in order to distinguish the differences between itand the anchor bolt positioning apparatus of the present invention. InFIG. 1, a prior art anchor bolt 10 having a J-shaped configuration isshown permanently secured within a conventional masonry or cinder blockfoundation wall 20. The anchor bolt 10 has a hooked portion that ispermanently positioned within an interior cavity of wall 20 and an upperend 12 that extends above the first 22 or top course of wall 20 andthrough a hole drilled in the sill plate 29 of the building framing. Theupper end 12 is threaded to accept a nut and washer combination 14 so asto secure the sill plate framing 29 to the foundation wall 20.

In FIG. 3, the construction of an individual cinder block is shown andit become clearer later herein how the structure of the block will beused to contain and support the apparatus of the present invention (notshown). Since all individual cinder blocks comprising the constructionof wall 20 are identical to each other, only cinder block 24 will bedescribed in greater detail. As FIG. 3 shows, cinder block 24 has agenerally rectangular configuration comprised of interconnecting walls24 a and 24 b. The side walls 24 a are identical to each, as are the endwalls 24 b identical to each other. A central partition wall 24 c islocated at the longitudinal midpoint of the distance between ends walls24 b, thereby forming identical cores 23L and 23R, of which only core 23L will be described. The core 23L is delimited by the left most end wall24 b, the two opposed half portions of side walls 24 a, and the centralpartition wall 24 c. Each core 23L, 23R is identical to the other and isgenerally delimited as having a length “L” and a width “A.” The length“L,” is the distance between interior wall surfaces 24 ai on eachsidewall 24 a, while the width “A,” is the distance between interiorwall surfaces 24 bi and 24 ci.

Referring to FIG. 2, the relationship between the cinder blocks in theassembled rows or courses of wall 20 is highlighted, wherein core 21 ofthe top course 22 of brick is superimposed over core 23 formed in thesecond course 24. Most cinder block foundation walls are constructed ina staggered or half-pattern, as seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, where the cores21 and 23 are in partial, vertical alignment with each other such that acontinuous passageway 27 is formed downwardly through all of the coursescomprising wall 20. It should be realized that passageway 27 will have awidth “B,” which is narrower relative to the core width “A” due to theoverlapping of the blocks in each course. However, passageway 27 willhave the same length “L” as the core 23L. The passageway 27 functionallyreceives an anchor bolt 10 therein prior to the entire passageway beingfilled with concrete so as to permanently secure the anchor bolttherein, as required by various state building codes. When secured assuch, anchor bolt 10 becomes a permanent fixture within wall 20,designed to extend above sill plate 29 on its one end in order toreceive the fastening nut and washer 14, while downwardly extending toat least the level of the second course 24 of wall 20 to ensurestructural integrity. As previously described, perfectly positioning andsecuring the anchor bolt 10 within passageway 27 becomes a difficulttask for several reasons, and because of this difficulty, many of theanchor bolts become unsuitable for use because they do not sufficientlyextend above the sill plate 29, if they do at all, or because they arenot upwardly projecting at a perpendicular angle to the sill plate 29 toallow the nut and washer to be attached to the anchor bolt and properlytightened to the sill plate.

The present invention, shown at 30 in FIG. 4A, is designed to solve thepreviously mentioned problems in a number of ways not proposed by priorart devices. First of all, the present invention eliminates the use ofthe costly and cumbersome J-shaped anchor bolt through the provision ofa less costly, straight-line anchoring rod 80. It should be understoodthat use of the more general term “anchor bolt” will sometimes besubstituted to describe the anchor rod of the present invention, sincethat nomenclature is so widely used within the industry. Secondly, thepresent invention provides a pair of positioning and restraining arms40,60, that attach to the upper sidewall of each brick that receives theapparatus of the invention. The arms collectively function toconsistently position one end of the anchor rod at the a predetermineddepth within each cinder block core relative to the top surface of theparticular block that employs the apparatus, while the other endconsistently projects at a ninety degree angle relative to the topsurface of the top course of bricks in the foundation wall. Likewise,because all of the anchor rods are the same length, the second ends ofthe anchor rods will project the same distance above the sill plate sothat all of the anchor rods will exhibit enough exposed threads toproperly receive the nut and washer combination 14.

Besides the positioning function, arms 40 and 60 also prevent theapparatus from any movement whatsoever once the arms are clamped overthe sidewalls of the construction block. As a result of the apparatus ofbeing totally restrained from any movement, the anchor rod is guaranteedto be positioned at the same location within the core of theconstruction block so that rod will consistently project out of the sillplate, on its centerline. Providing anchor bars that consistentlyproject on the sill plate centerline brings cost savings that will bedescribed later herein. It should be understood that the anchor rodposition relative to the sill plate centerline is a separate anddistinct function from how high and at what angle the anchor rodprojects above the sill plate.

Third, the construction of the present invention uniquely allows thestraight-line anchor bar 80 to be assembled to the apparatus' basestructure (32) after the apparatus has been permanently mortared andsecured within the foundation wall 20. This simple change means that theanchor bar 80 will not be exposed at all during the remaining phases ofthe wall's construction. In turn, a bricklayer will no longer berequired to carefully guide each of the heavy cinder blocks over the topportion of an exposed anchor bolt. This change in construction alsoeliminates the possibility of the brick contacting the upstanding anchorbolt end so as to knock the bolt or the entire apparatus off its restingposition on that course of bricks or perhaps moving the anchor bolt orentire apparatus out of position without detection prior to the mortarpermanently setting. Moreover, because the anchor rod 80 is attached tothe remaining apparatus structure after the foundation wall iscompleted, virtually all problems associated with damaged threads can beeliminated too. And even if the threads of the anchor bar 80 do becomedamaged at some point, the rod can be easily changed without the need toremove the entire anchoring apparatus from the foundation wall in orderto remove the anchor bolt from the base of the anchoring device, as withprior art devices. Finally, it should also be appreciated that thepresent invention can be readily adapted to comply with any localbuilding code requirement that sets which course the anchor bolt has toextend downwardly into. This can be accomplished by merely by providingthe appropriate length of the anchor rod 80 without modifying theremaining structure of the anchoring apparatus.

In a first and preferred embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 4-6,the anchor bolt positioning apparatus 30 is generally shown to comprisea support plate 32 that fits within the core of a construction block,first and a second upstanding positioning and restraining arms 40,60,and an anchor rod attachment means 90 for securing a straight-lineanchoring rod 80 to the support plate 32. The first and secondpositioning and restraining arms 40,60 are identical structural membersthat collectively serve several important functions that distinguish thepresent invention over the prior art, as will become clearer when theyare described in greater detail below. As mentioned above, with thedesign of the present invention, the conventional J-shaped anchor boltis eliminated and favorably, a continuously straight rod 80 comprised ofan unthreaded central portion 86 and a pair of opposed threaded ends82,84 is provided instead. This substitution has significance withrespect to how the apparatus of the invention is incorporated into thefoundation wall as it is being constructed. Because of its straight-lineconfiguration, anchor rod 80 does not require pre-attachment to asupporting or positioning member prior to permanently securing theentire apparatus 30 within the foundation wall 20, as with prior artdevices that use the cumbersome J-shaped anchor bolt. With J-shapedanchor bolts, the curved end must be pre-attached to some sort of asupporting and positioning member before the anchoring apparatus ispermanently mortared within the foundation wall. Otherwise, there is noway to attach it to the base structure once the anchoring apparatus ismortared within the wall. Thus, the straight-line anchor rod 80 is to bethreaded into attachment means 90 after the entire foundation wall 20 isconstructed. The straight-line anchor rod 80 is generally manufacturedof carbon steel and in standard lengths that correspond to the number ofcourses through which the anchor bolt is designed to project through,making it far less costly to manufacture than a J-shaped anchor bolt,which helps reduce some of the previously discussed home constructioncosts. It is also preferable that the anchor rod 80 be threaded only atits ends, otherwise the manufacturing cost of the anchor bar will besignificantly increased.

The support plate 32 is designed to fit entirely within the core 23 of aconstruction block at a predetermined vertical location or depth withinthe core. Its primary function is to securely hold the anchor rod 80prior to cementing the entire apparatus within the interior core of thefoundation wall. A secondary function of support plate 32 is to blockthe poured cement from falling into the section of core below thesupport plate during the process of cementing the anchor bar within thewall. The support plate 32 has a top surface 31, a bottom surface 33, afirst edge 35, a second edge 37 and corners a-d. The diametric centerbetween the four corners a-d, define the midpoint of support plate 32and it is at this point that the anchor rod attachment means 90 is to belocated. In the preferred embodiment presented in FIG. 4A, theattachment means 90 comprises a threaded nut that is associated with thetop surface 31 of support plate 32. There, the nut is permanentlysecured to top surface 31 by tack welding or other known means. In avariation to that embodiment as presented in FIG. 4B, the attachmentmeans 90′ is instead comprised of a pipe fitting coupling that is alsoassociated with top surface 31, at the midpoint thereof. With eitherversion, the first threaded end 82 of anchoring rod 80 is receivedwithin the complementary threads of the nut 90 or the coupling 90′ so asto firmly secure anchor rod 80 to the support plate 32. The threadedconnection between the anchor rod 80 and attachment means 90 or 90′ensures against any “vertical play” being introduced into theconnection, ensuring that the anchor bar 80 will always be projectingsubstantially perpendicular to top surface 31. When a nut 90 isemployed, a construction worker will consistently thread each anchor rod80 into the attachment means nut 90 until the anchor bolt end 84 stopsagainst surface 31 such that top surface 31 acts an anchor rod stop.When a pipe fitting coupling 90″ is employed, it has been found that theanchor rod 80 can be tightened to about the vertical midpoint of thecoupling before it cannot be tightened any further.

In a modified version to the embodiment shown in FIG. 4A, the attachmentmeans nut 90 is associated with bottom surface 33, as shown in FIG. 4C,where it is permanently attached thereto at the midpoint between cornersa-d. However, this arrangement first requires the provision of a holethrough the midpoint of support plate 32 prior to attachment means nut90 being attached to bottom surface 33. Of course, it is easilyunderstood by those in the art that the diameter of the hole would haveto be sized so that the threads of the nut 90 are fully exposed foraccepting the threaded end 82 of anchor rod 80. An advantage of locatingthe attachment means 90 on bottom surface 33 is that the support plateacts as a shield against sand or dirt which may fall into the passageway27. If any dirt or sand should pass through the hole in the supportplate 32, it will merely fall through the hole in the attachment meansnut 90 too, thereby have no detrimental effect on threading the anchorrod 80 into the attachment means nut 90.

The support plate 32 of the present invention is designed to fitentirely within core 23 of cinder block 24 so that no portion of it willbe resting upon any part of the top surface of the cinder block and/ordirectly within the mortar joint, as with most prior art devices. Onerecognized advantage to that structural arrangement is that it is mucheasier for the bricklayer to assemble the remaining courses of brickabove the course which contains apparatus 30 since he does not have tolift those last courses of brick carefully above and over a projectinganchor bolt, which normally would be pre-attached and exposed with someprior art devices. The design of the present invention saves thatadditional physical exertion because the anchor rod 80 is not attachedto the support plate 32 until after the foundation wall 20 is finished.By eliminating any upstanding, exposed component that needs to beaddressed, a bricklayer can also construct the foundation wall in a muchfaster fashion, thus saving labor costs. Another discovered advantage ofpositioning the support plate entirely within the core is that therewill be no opportunity for the apparatus 30 to be knocked out ofposition or completely off the foundation wall during its construction,a major drawback of an anchoring apparatus that rests upon the topsurface of the brick and which uses a pre-attached anchor bolt are partof the anchoring apparatus.

As best seen in preferred embodiment of FIG. 4A, the pair of opposed,upstanding positioning and restraining arms 40,60, are integrally formedat each lateral end support plate 32, although they can be separatemembers that are attached to the support plate by welding or othermeans. The arms 40 and 60 are identical to each other and they areselectively sized in lateral width and vertical extent so that apparatus30 accomplishes two important results. Primarily, arms 40 and 60function to restrain apparatus 30 against any form of movement whilewithin the core 23. This restraint, when coupled with the fact that theanchor bar 80 is not pre-attached to the support plate, means that theapparatus of the present invention will never be accidentally knockedoff of the foundation wall or that it get repositioned along eitherdirection relative to the core should the it be touched in any mannerduring construction of the wall. The arms 40 and 60 secondarily functionto precisely and consistently position the support plate 32, and hencethe entire apparatus 30, at the same location within core 23 such thatthe anchor bar 80 will also be positioned at a consistent locationwithin each and every passageway 27. This consistent placement withinpassageway 27 means the anchor bar 80 will be invariably be locatedright on the centerline of the sill plate 29 each and every time, whichin turn means that the sill plate 29 can be predrilled at all locationswhere an the second end 84 of the anchor rod 80 will project through.With most prior art anchoring systems, the sill plate holes cannot bepredrilled because the anchor bolts never quite present themselves in aconsistent location relative to the center line of the sill plate. Thus,with predrilling, it should be appreciated that additional laborconstruction time and costs can be saved.

As FIG. 5 best shows, the restraining and positioning features of thepresent invention are accomplished through a precise construction of thepositioning and restraining arms 40 and 60, which are comprised of rigidpositioning posts 42,62, and rigid retention means 50 and 70.Specifically, the respective positioning posts 42,62, are constructedwith dimensional lateral widths “LL” that are substantially the samewidth “A” of core 23. Therefore, there will be no “play” between therespective first and second edge walls 45,65 and 47,67 of the respectivepositioning posts 42,62 and the interior walls 24 bi and 24 ci of core23. When the posts 42,62 are positioned within core 23, the entiresurface area of the edge walls 45,65 and 47,67, will experience atrivial amount of friction against walls 24 b and 24 c. However, itshould be understood that if the restraining means 50 and 70 were notprovided, these friction forces would not be great enough tosufficiently hold the support plate 32 in a stable and unmovableposition within the core so as to completely restrain the apparatus frommovement. If the positioning posts 42,62 were constructed so as tointentionally allow movement along the width “A” of the cinder block, orweren't constructed as rather rigid members so as to prevent bucklingunder the combined weight of the anchor bar and the later-poured cement,then the final position of the anchor bar 80 and its angle of projectionwill be inconsistent such that sill plate 29 cannot be predrilled. Thus,it is preferred that the posts be constructed as rigid members so thatthey do not readily bend or buckle. The use of gusset plates 100 furtherprovides rigidity to the posts 42,62 when thin a thinner gage of steelis used for constructing the apparatus.

It is also preferred, but not required, to construct the retentionsmeans 50 and 70 (which are shown in resting contact against the sidewall24 a and top surface 26 in the figure) such that they are also providedwith a lateral dimension of “LL”, as shown in FIG. 5. When the retentionmeans 50,70 and positioning posts 42,62, are both constructed with thesame lateral extent, then the upstanding positioning and retention arms40,60 can be constructed as an integral, unitary member. It is importantto understand that the positioning posts 42,62 solely control movementalong the length “A” of core 23, independent of the width of retentionmeans 50 and 70. For example, if the retention means 50,70 were providedwith a lateral width of “LL” but posts 42,62 were not, the entireapparatus would still be susceptible to movement along the length “A” ofcore 23 since the retention means 50,70 would merely slide across thetop surface 26 of the block, as with most prior art devices. Preferably,support plate 32 should also be constructed to have a lateral width “LL”(distance between first edge 35 and second edge 37) so that the entireapparatus 30 can be constructed as an integral, unitary member, therebyreducing the costs of manufacturing apparatus 30 while increasing therigidity of entire structure.

Another advantage of locating the support plate 32 entirely within core23 is that the positioning and restraining arms 40,60 function toconsistently set the position of the attachment means 90 at the samevertical depth within core 23 in a much simplified manner so that theanchor bar 80 will always extend above the sill plate 29 the correctdistance and be centered on the sill plate 29. In contrast, considerU.S. Pat. No. 6,138,41 to Grigsby, where the inventor attempts toaccomplish setting the anchor bolt height above the sill plate and itsposition relative to the centerline of the sill plate through provisionof a multiplicity of positioning and height-adjustment pegs attached tothe plate holding the anchor bolt. In that device, if the wrong peg ischosen, the anchor bolt can be off-centered with respect to the sillplate centerline or the vertical height of the anchor bolt might notextend above the sill plate. The present invention on the other hand,relies upon the posts 42,62 to consistently position the anchor bar atthe center of the core 23 and at the same downward vertical elevationwithin the core 23, no matter which course of brick the apparatus 30 isutilized within. In this way, the present invention eliminates theopportunity for a construction worker to incorrectly mount the anchorbolt to an incorrect height adjustment peg before the apparatus ispermanently secured within the foundation wall. Furthermore, the factthat the anchor bar 80 is securely threaded into the attachment means90, the present invention ensures that the anchor bar 80 will alwaysremain at a right angle relative to the sill plate 29 for easyattachment of the nut and washer combination 14. Since most buildingcodes require that the anchor bolt be permanently secured within thesecond or third brick courses, then only two lengths of thestraight-line anchor bars 80 are ever required for any particularconstruction project. With the present invention, if the anchor rod 80is not long enough to extend above the top surface of the top course ofbricks, the construction worker merely substitutes the longer one.Advantageously, this means that each and every anchor bolt will extendto the correct height above the sill plate so that all anchoring barswill be used to tie the building framing to the foundation wall, therebyincreasing the structural integrity of the building against strongwinds. With other prior art devices, the vertical height of the anchorbolt above the sill plate is not consistently ensured, such thatsometimes, an anchor bolt sits below the top surface of the sill plate,making it impossible to attach the nut and washer. In those situations,that particular anchor bolt will never be utilized in tying the frame tothe foundation wall.

As mentioned, the predetermined vertical position or depth of thesupport plate 32, and hence, the attachment means 90, within the core 23is a function of the physical length attributed to the identicalupstanding positioning posts 42,62. This point is highlighted in FIG.4A, where it is seen that height “H” of each positioning post 42,62determines the desired elevation of support plate 32 within core 23.Preferably, the length “H” of each post will correspond to the distancerepresenting the location of the vertical midpoint of each cinder block,which is about 4 inches, as measured from top surface 26 on a typicalcinder block.

While the posts 42 and 62 prevent movement along the width of core 23,the retention means 50 and 70 prevent movement along the length “L” ofthe core 23. As best seen in FIGS. 4A and 5, posts 42,62, cooperate withthe retention means 50 and 70 to form a pair of identical receivingchannels 51,71, that further function to secure apparatus 30 within thedesired brick course 24. In FIG. 5, it is seen that the uppermostportions of opposed cinder block side walls 24 a are inserted within therespective receiving channels 51,71, until the respective bottomsurfaces 53,73 of each lateral flange 52,72, rest upon top surface 26.In that position, the respective positioning post exterior surfaces43,63 are in contact against the internal brick surfaces 24 ai, 24 bi,and 24 ci, while the respective stop plate inside surfaces 57,77 are incontact against exterior surfaces 24 ae of the opposed cinder blocksidewalls 24 a. Thus, the entire apparatus 30 is restrained from anymovement within core 23, while simultaneously, the vertical depth orposition of the support plate 32 is consistently set within core 23.

Each retention means 50 and 70 is respectively comprised of a lateralflange 52,72 connected to a stop plate 56,76. The first lateral flange52 has a top surface 53 that will be exposed to the mortar joint and abottom surface 55 that is in resting contact upon surface 26 of cinderblock 25. The lateral flange 52 is intentionally constructed to have anextent that is substantially equivalent to the thickness “t” of thecinder block sidewalls, or the distance between sidewall surfaces 24 aeand 24 ai. Likewise, the second lateral flange 72 has a top surface 73that will be exposed to the mortar joint and a bottom surface 75 that isin resting contact on top surface 26. Lateral flange 72 is alsoconstructed to have an extent that is substantially the same as thethickness “t” of the cinder block sidewall. The first stop plate 56 isconnected to first lateral flange 52 at a right angle thereto and it hasan inside surface 57 that is in resting contact against exteriorsidewall surface 24 ae. Likewise, the second stop plate 76 is connectedto second lateral flange 72 at a right angle thereto and it has aninside surface 77 that is in resting contact against the opposedexterior sidewall surface 24 ae. It is important to construct thelateral flanges 52,72 with the width “t” so that the first upstandingpositioning and restraining post 42 will have its interior surface 41 inresting contact against the interior surface 24 ae, while the secondupstanding positioning and retention post 62 will have its interiorsurface 61 in resting contact against the opposed interior surface 24ai. Furthermore, when constructed as such, the inside surface 57 of stopplate 56, as well as the inside surface 77 of stop plate 76, will be incontact against the exterior sidewall surface 24 a of the cinder block.Otherwise, if the lateral flanges 52,72 are constructed with a widerthan the extent “t,” the apparatus will be able to move along the length“L” of the cinder block until the stop plates 56 or 76 are contacted,which is not desired because this type of movement would prevent thepredrilling of sill plate 29. When the foundation wall 20 is completelyassembled, only the outside surfaces 59 and 79 of the first and secondstop plates 56,76, will be visible for a building inspector or fieldforeman to verify that the anchor bolt apparatus 30 has been securedwithin the wall at the proper depth.

Another discovered advantage of the present invention is that theintegrity of the mortar joint will not be comprised when concrete ispoured into passageway 27 to permanently secure apparatus 30 within thefoundation wall 20. When concrete is poured into passageway 27, it willrest upon the top surface 31 of support plate 32. The weight of theconcrete creates a downward force upon support plate 32, which isdistributed throughout the plate before it is then transferred into eachof the upstanding posts 42,62, and the gusset plates 100. The gussetplates 100 securely tie the posts 42,62, to plate 32 so that nodeflection of the support plate occurs. Thus, because there is nodeflection, the mortar joint is not compromised. Prior art devices whichrest on surface 26 on the other hand, do not provide means fordistributing the forces away from the mortar joint, leading to themortar cracking, especially when the cement and mortar are not fullycured. In FIG. 4, only two gusset plates 100 at the corners “a” and “b”of support plate 32 are shown for clarity purposes, although it shouldbe understood that corners “c” and “d” would also be provided withrespective plates too. Preferably, apparatus 30 is manufactured fromsteel, aluminum or certain plastics and depending upon the chosen gageof each material, the gussets 100 a-d will not be needed when a thickergage is utilized. It is envisioned that when using steel of a 14 gagesteel or thicker, the gussets are not required.

Because the support plate 32 is located within core 23, the integrity ofthe mortar joint is further protected when the nut and washercombination 14 are tightened so as to fix the sill plate 29 to topsurface of the foundation wall 20. During that tightening process, atensile force is exerted on the anchor rod 80, which transfers thatforce into support plate 32 through the attachment means 90, whereby anequivalent upward pulling force is exerted on support plate 32. Asexplained previously, most prior art devices have some form of a supportplate sitting directly within the mortar joint, with the anchor boltattached directly thereto. In prior art devices, when the anchor boltnut is tightened, tensile forces in the anchor bolt are transferreddirectly into the support plate, causing it to flexure directly withinthe mortar joint, which compromises the joint. With the presentinvention, the effects of the flexure forces are substantiallyeliminated at the mortar joint due to the flexure forces beingeffectively absorbed and redistributed between the support plate 32,gussets 100, and upstanding posts 42,62. It has been found that suchforces do not cause movement at the lateral flanges 52 and 72 becausethe plate, posts and gusset plates are effectively acting as a singlebody with respect to force distribution.

In a second embodiment of the invention, best seen in FIGS. 7 and 7A,the anchor bolt attachment means, now identified at 120, is comprised ofa removable, unitary member that is associated with top surface 31 ofsupport plate 32. The removable attachment means is constructed of aplanar lower plate 122 which includes a threaded hole 121, a planarupper plate 124 which includes an identical threaded hole 125, and anupstanding planar side plate 126 connecting said upper and lower platestogether. With this embodiment, the attachment means nut 90 as describedearlier herein, is not provided on support plate 32 so that lower plate122 is in full resting contact upon top surface 31 of support plate 32.Depending upon how the insert was positioned, the upstanding side plate126 may be in contact against either of the interior surfaces 41 or 61of the positioning and retention posts 42,62 without affectingperformance. Both holes 121 and 125 have threads that are complementaryto the threads on end 82 of the anchor rod 80. The attachment means 120has a generally C-shaped configuration with the upper and lower plates122,124 extending parallel to each other and perpendicular to upstandingplate 126, with holes 121 and 125 in vertical, axial alignment with eachother. The longitudinal extent “X” from the backside of side plate 126and front edge of lower plate 122 is slightly less than the distancebetween the positioning posts 42 and 62 so that attachment means 120 cancomfortably fit therebetween with only a minimal amount of play.Preferably attachment means 120 will only have a minimal of travel orplay (no more than ⅛ of an inch) between posts 42 and 62 so that holes121 and 125 will remain contiguous with the midpoint of support plate32, thereby ensuring anchor rod 80 to be contiguous with the centerlineof sill plate 29. After anchor rod 80 is threaded into holes 121 and125, it is substantially perpendicular to top surface 31. The removableattachment means 120 can be assembled either before or after thefoundation wall is fully constructed. It preferred that member 120 firstbe connected to anchor bar 80 and then inserted between the positioningposts after the wall is constructed so as to gain all of the advantagespreviously mentioned pertaining to attaching the anchor bar after thefoundation wall is completed.

A variation on the second embodiment is shown in FIG. 8, where it isseen that the removable attachment means 120′ includes all of the sameelements of the embodiment of FIGS. 7 and 7A, plus an additional secondside plate element 128, which downwardly extends in a parallel fashionto first side plate 126, so as to abut the top surface of bottom plate122. The face 129 may be in abutting contact with either of thepositioning and retention posts 42 or 62, depending upon how it isinserted. The anchor bolt 80 is threaded into the holes 121,125 prior tothe removable attachment means 120′ being fed downwardly into passageway27 until lower plate 122 is in resting contact upon top surface 31 ofsupport plate 32. When anchor rod 80 is threaded into holes 121 and 125,it is substantially perpendicular to top surface 31. Of course, withthis embodiment, the support plate 32 would not be provided with theattachment means nut 90 of the preferred embodiment so that plate 122′is in full resting contact against surface 31. The anchor rod 80 extendsupwardly in the exact fashion and location as the anchor bar of thepreferred embodiment of the invention.

A third embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 9 and 9A withstill another type of removable attachment means 120′″. This attachmentmeans 120′″ includes the elements of the embodiment of FIGS. 7 and 7A,with the additional element of second side plate 128′″ and a shorterupper plate 124. The second side plate 128′″ is constructed as athreaded, anchor bar receiving wall that extends downwardly in aparallel fashion to first side plate 126, so as to abut top surface 31of support plate 32. The first sidewall 126 is in contact with either ofthe upstanding positioning posts 42 or 62. The second side plate 128′″comprises a series of spaced, vertically arranged arcuate segments 130a-d′″ that are threaded to match the threads on anchor bolt end 82. Thecenterlines of the segments are in axial alignment over the midpoint orcenter of support plate 32. The anchor rod 80 is threaded into thesegments until end 82 touches lower plate 122′″. Preferably, theattachment means 120′″ and the attached anchor rod 80 are fed downwardlythrough passageway 27 until lower plate 122 rests upon top surface 31 ofsupport plate 32. Of course, support plate would not be provided withthe attachment means nut 90 so that plate 122′″ is in full restingcontact against surface 31. The anchor rod 80 extends upwardly in theexact fashion and location as the anchor bar of the preferred embodimentof the invention.

A fourth embodiment of the invention is shown with another type ofremovable attachment means, which is shown in FIG. 10 at 120″″. Thisembodiment is to be used in conjunction with the preferred embodiment ofthe invention where the attachment means nut 90 is provided. However,this embodiment will only be utilized when a problem has been discoveredwith the threads of the attachment means nut 90. For example, theattachment means nut 90 might encounter problems such as welding fluxbeing stuck on the threads, or dirt, sand or mortar filling the insidethe nut, all of which prevent anchor rod 80 from being connectedthereto. If bad threads are discovered after the apparatus 30 has beenpermanently set within foundation wall 20, then this variation of theattachment means 120″″ will solve this type of problem. It does this byutilizing the original attachment means nut 90 as a means for holdinginsert 120″″ securely in place while resting upon top surface 31,instead of only resting upon the attachment means nut itself, which ofcourse, would be very unstable so as to interfere within the attachmentof and rocking of the insert 120″″ when anchor rod 80 is being threadedinto the hole 125″″. In this version, the upper plate 124″″ is providedwith a threaded hole 125″″, while lower plate 122″″ is provided with anunthreaded hole 121″″ of a diameter defined by perimeter wall 121 p″″.As seen, perimeter wall 121 p″″ tightly envelopes the attachment meansnut 90 that was originally provided on the support plate 32. With thisembodiment, the insert 120″″ is pre-attached to anchor rod 80 bythreading end 84 into hole 125″″ until end 84 stops at a position abovelower plate 122″″ which is equivalent to the height of the attachmentmeans nut 90. Insert 122″″ is then lowered downwardly through passageway27, until perimeter wall 121 p″″ surrounds original attachment means nut90. Anchor rod end 82 will be in such close approximation to nut 90 suchthat when concrete is poured down passageway 27 for permanentlyanchoring the apparatus 30 therein, the weight of the concrete willcause end 82 to lightly contact nut 90. On the top end of the wall, theanchor rod 80 will extend above sill plate 29 slightly higher thannormal. This distance is insignificant because it will not effectattachment of the nut and washer combination 14 and anchor rod 80 willstill be at a perpendicular angle relative to top surface 31 of supportplate 32.

While the apparatus and methods described herein form a preferredembodiment of this invention, it will be understood that this inventionis not so limited, and changes can be made without departing from thescope and spirit of this invention, which is defined in the appendedclaims.

1. An apparatus for positioning and restraining an anchor bolt within aconstruction block wall erected from a multiplicity of identicalconstruction blocks, comprising: a support plate having a top and abottom surface; identical, upstanding first and second arms integrallyattached to said support plate for restraining and positioning saidsupport plate within an interior core of a construction block at apredetermined location; attachment means associated with said supportplate for releasably securing a straight-line anchor bar substantiallyperpendicular to said top surface of said support plate; and astraight-line anchor bar for attachment to said support plate after saidconstruction block wall is erected.
 2. The anchor bolt positioning andrestraining apparatus of claim 1, wherein the attachment means islocated on one of the top and bottom surface of the support plate, at acenter midpoint thereof.
 3. The anchor bolt positioning and restrainingapparatus of claim 1, each of said upstanding arms are comprised of arigid positioning post and a restraining means.
 4. The anchor boltpositioning and restraining apparatus of claim 3, wherein each of saidrestraining means are comprised of a lateral flange and a stop plate,said stop plate arranged at a perpendicular angle to said lateralflange.
 5. The anchor bolt positioning and restraining apparatus ofclaim 3, wherein said restraining means and said positioning postscooperate to form a receiving channel for receiving a construction blocksidewall therein.
 6. The anchor bolt positioning and restrainingapparatus of claim 5, wherein each of said lateral flanges isidentically constructed to have an extent that is substantiallyequivalent to a thickness of said sidewall of said construction block soas to restrain said apparatus from movement along a length of said core.7. The anchor bolt positioning and restraining apparatus of claim 3,wherein each of said positioning posts is identically constructed tohave a lateral width that is substantially equivalent to a lateral widthof said interior core said construction block so as to restrain saidapparatus from movement along a width of said core.
 8. The anchor boltpositioning and restraining apparatus of claim 2, wherein the attachmentmeans is located on said top surface of the support plate and iscomprised of one of a threaded nut and a threaded pipe couplingpermanently attached to said support plate.
 9. The anchor boltpositioning and restraining apparatus of claim 2, wherein the attachmentmeans is located on said bottom surface of the support plate and iscentered about a hole provided in said support plate at a centermidpoint thereof, wherein said attachment means is comprised of one of athreaded nut and a threaded pipe coupling permanently attached to saidsupport plate.
 10. The anchor bolt positioning and restraining apparatusof claim 1, wherein said support plate is generally configured to havefour corners and wherein said apparatus further includes a respectivegusset plate structurally connecting said upstanding arms to saidsupport plate at each of said corners.
 11. The anchor bolt positioningand restraining apparatus of claim 1, wherein said support plate isconfigured to cover said core of said construction block to prevent acompound poured into said core from passing by said support plate. 12.The anchor bolt positioning and restraining apparatus of claim 2,wherein the attachment means is located on said top surface of thesupport plate and is comprised of a removable member.
 13. The anchorbolt positioning and restraining apparatus of claim 12, wherein saidremovable attachment means is comprised of a C-shaped member defined bya planer upper and lower plate interconnected by a planar side plate,wherein said upper and lower plates having vertically aligned andthreaded holes for receiving therein said anchor bar.
 14. The anchorbolt positioning and restraining apparatus of claim 13, furtherincluding a second planar side plate that is disposed parallel to saidfirst side plate.
 15. The anchor bolt positioning and restrainingapparatus of claim 12, wherein said removable attachment means iscomprised of a planer upper and lower plate interconnected by a planarside plate, wherein a second side plate downwardly depends from saidupper plate and touches said lower plate, said second side plate havinga series of spaced, vertically arranged arcuate segments having threadstherein for receiving said anchor bar therein, said segments having acenterline that aligned over said midpoint of said support plate. 16.The anchor bolt positioning and restraining apparatus of claim 12,wherein said removable attachment means is comprised of a C-shapedmember defined by a planer upper and lower plate interconnected by aplanar side plate, wherein said upper and lower plates having verticallyaligned holes, wherein said upper plate hole is threaded for receivingtherein said anchor bar and said lower plate hole is of a diameter tofit about a threaded nut attached to said top surface of said supportplate at a midpoint thereof.
 17. An apparatus for positioning andrestraining an anchor bolt within a construction block wall erected froma multiplicity of identical construction blocks, comprising: a supportplate having a top and a bottom surface; identical, upstanding first andsecond arms integrally attached to said support plate for restrainingand positioning said support plate within an interior core of aconstruction block at a predetermined location; an removable attachmentmeans associated with said top surface of said support plate forreleasably securing a straight-line anchor bar substantiallyperpendicular to said top surface of said support plate; and astraight-line anchor bar for attachment to said support plate after saidconstruction block wall is erected.
 18. The anchor bolt positioning andrestraining apparatus of claim 17, wherein said removable attachmentmeans is comprised of a C-shaped member defined by a planer upper andlower plate interconnected by a planar side plate, wherein said upperand lower plates having vertically aligned and threaded holes forreceiving therein said anchor bar.
 19. The anchor bolt positioning andrestraining apparatus of claim 18, further including a second planarside plate that is disposed parallel to said first side plate.
 20. Theanchor bolt positioning and restraining apparatus of claim 17, whereinsaid removable attachment means is comprised of a planer upper and lowerplate interconnected by a planar side plate, wherein a second side platedownwardly depends from said upper plate and touches said lower plate,said second side plate having a series of spaced, vertically arrangedarcuate segments having threads therein for receiving said anchor bartherein, said segments having a centerline that aligned over saidmidpoint of said support plate.